April 5, 2001

RONALD TOWNSEND: It is my pleasure to introduce Tiger Woods. Tiger, would you like to say a few remarks before you take questions?

TIGER WOODS: No. (Laughs).

RONALD TOWNSEND: So we'll take questions. First question.

Q. Tiger, it could have been better, I suppose, but you are sure not out of it. Are you relatively satisfied?

TIGER WOODS: I am. I thought I played pretty solid today. I hit a lot of good drives today, a lot of crisp irons. I hit a few good putts, misread a few, but overall, I'm very pleased that I got off to the start I was able to get off to.

Q. Are surprised that your score is not one of the lowest ones?

TIGER WOODS: Not at all. The golf course is set up awfully difficult out there. The pins are touching some corners, you have to make a lot of 15-footers if you want to make birdies, and I wasn't able to do that today. I hit a lot of good putts that didn't go in, and I hit some bad ones.

Q. After all of the hype and everything, are you taken aback or chuckling to yourself after your first swing at the Masters, which is the drive right? What is your thought process after the tee shot on 1?

TIGER WOODS: I was trying to hit a nice high bleeder up there and overcut it, simple as that. The drive there, last year, if you put that ball in the same spot, they added three new trees on the right side now so you are blocked out. You can either punch out, which I did, put it in the bunker. Usually, in years past, you put it over there, it's no big deal. But with the three new trees there, it blocks you out.

Q. What did you hit out of there?

TIGER WOODS: A little 2-iron. I tried to get it up on the upslope of the bunker.

Q. You wanted it in the bunker?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, I wanted it in the bunker. I wanted it on the upslope of the bunker. That's why I hit 2-iron, to make sure. I hit a good bunker shot and hit a good putt.

Q. How far was the putt?

TIGER WOODS: It was about six and a half feet.

Q. When you see some low scores, do you have to kind of caution yourself and scale back from wanting to overattack in the first round?

TIGER WOODS: No, this is a major championship. There's four days. Everyone knows -- it's awfully hard to go out there and shoot in the mid-60s every day in a major.

Q. Do you think you lost any shots on the par 5s today?

TIGER WOODS: I had my chances. I hit a bad putt on 2. Hit a poor pitch on 8. 13, I was just in a tough spot over there. I was just trying to keep the ball on the upper shelf somehow. I was able to do it and then misread the putt. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

Q. Last time you shot 70 in the first day of the tournament, things ended up okay for you. Does that enter your mind at all in?

TIGER WOODS: No. (Laughs).

Q. The course is going to get tougher as it dries out. Do you think that is an advantage, Tiger?

TIGER WOODS: I think it is an advantage to anyone who is playing well. With the greens being soft and receptive, the guys who are hitting kind of borderline can get away with it. Once the greens become baked out, borderline shots won't work out anymore, not to these greens, not to these pin locations.

Q. With the course playing like it was today, and you not lighting it up, do you find yourself looking at the scoreboard just to make sure somebody is not getting away from you?

TIGER WOODS: Well, no one is going to shoot 15-, 18-under par. I mean, if you can just shoot under par today, and that was my mindset going out there today and I was able to do that. Any time you shoot it in the red in a major championship the first day, you are going to be in all right position.

Q. 16, you didn't like that tee shot when you were watching it.

TIGER WOODS: Yeah.

Q. Did you hit it too far?

TIGER WOODS: No. I pulled it. I was trying to hit kind of a -- the wind is coming off to the right and I'm trying to hold it back into the wind and I kind of bailed out. I hit a little pull, raked a cross-cut and ended up okay.

Q. Knowing how much you were looking forward to this, how was your mood, your attitude today?

TIGER WOODS: My mood, my attitude was great just like it is in any tournament. I was nervous, yes, but not to the point where I couldn't tee it up and couldn't swing. I felt -- honestly, I felt pretty good about there. I felt good about my swing. I think one of the reasons why is my preparation coming into the tournament. I've prepared well for the tournament. I've hit the ball reasonably well in the practice rounds. You know, I just need to go out there and execute my own golf shots.

RONALD TOWNSEND: Thank you, Tiger. Thanks for coming by and good luck the rest of the week.